Loungelover

Time Out says

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(20)

2 out of 5 stars

Time Out says

A popular Shoreditch cocktail bar from the team behind Les Trois Garcons, right around the corner. Those familiar with the restaurant will recognise a similar approach to the decor here - an intriguingly mismatched hotchpotch of tapestries, taxidermy, oriental vases and diagrams offering anatomical insights from yesteryear.

Cocktails are the real draw here. Classics feature, but the drinks list focuses on signature creations such as the Loungelover (Loungelover fig liqueur, sweet vanilla and lemon oil with Champagne) and contemporary drops like the Black Diamond Sour (Disaronno with blackberries, lime and violet liqueur, served over crushed ice). Keep an eye out for early-evening cocktail offers throughout the week.

A short food menu comprises small plates such as grilled chicken skewers, battered squid with cumin, red chilli and lime, pulled pork brioche buns and a beetroot and goat's cheese salad. There's a canape menu too, which proves popular with those taking advantage of the private hire.

I booked loungelover as a venue for my bday party. In the hindsight, I can say for sure that I had the worst bday party ever because of the poor service.
The bar operated a system where you could not order from the bar but only from one waitress who ALSO took care of other tables. The waitress in charge could not keep up with the orders and towards the end of the night, I was dumped with a bill worth 100pounds. I was basically asked to figure out who ordered what and make the payment. So I ran around stressed for the rest of the night,trying to sort out the bill. When confronted about unaccounted drinks, the waitress told me 'oh some girl ordered, oh some boy ordered' and she told me that 'she was stressed', TO ME. From the service, I am pretty sure there were some double countings too but how can i say? When I spoke to the manager, instead of finding solutions, the manager just looked nooded and said happy bday to me.
What is more, there were empty tables around and they did not allow my guests to sit down and at one point, brought a security guy in to make us squeese into our corner - NOT because we were loud. So at the end, I paid for the unaccounted drinks because I had enough. I did not want to ruin my bday further and upset my guests.
It was the worst experience I have ever had in a bar. I am so disappointed in my choice of this venue and I would not recommend this venue to anyone.

We came here for my best friends 25th birthday, really wanting to have a good night. She booked the table in advance and a few more people turned up than expected which the waitress couldn’t handle, despite there being loads of free chairs nearby. At one point she tried to order us all out of the bar because a couple of people were standing up!
It was impossible to get her attention to order drinks, on multiple occasions, I had to traipse around the bar to find her because apparently you can’t order at the bar, its waitress service only.
I also wanted to pay separately for my drinks (as soon as I ordered them) instead of having them stuck on the table tab which she couldn’t cope with either. Her English was appalling, which normally I don’t mind, but she had such a negative attitude towards doing anything remotely helpful that the language barrier didn’t help.
She tried to overcharge us at the end, adding the service charge on twice and then shouted at us when we pointed it out.
The tab system is very bad when there’s a big group of people, as people forget what they ordered or leave early, and as expected my friend got landed with a huge bill at the end. Many of the drinks on the bill were totally unaccounted for.
It’s a real pity the service is so bad… the décor is lovely and I really enjoyed my black diamond cocktail. But the service means that I def wont go back again. Im surprised the owner/manager hasn’t bothered to do anything about it – there are enough complaints here!

Took my girlfriend for dinner, staff were unbelievably rude, food & drink were overpriced. Immediately after we ordered they sat down 2 more customers at our table without asking and said 'make friends' when I complained to the waitress I was told there was nothing she could do as it was the manager who made her do it. He turned out to be the same guy who made the patronising 'make friends' remark. Spent £150 was in there 45 minutes. I left hungry & thirsty. Place is a complete joke.

Went there the other day and haven't got a reservation, the bar was empty but the girl at reception said in such a rude way they are too full to give us a table. Anyway, after pointless flipping through the clearly empty looking reservation list she gave us a table (thanks for your generosity) You nearly have to hit the staff with a chair to get their attention, the cocktails are poor and not worth the money. I liked the nibbles although its not that difficult to make them anyway. The attitude and rudeness of the staff is a total turn off.

This place used to be good for cocktails and table service. Last time I went service was awful. Zero out of ten for service. Rude, inattentive staff. I had to chase the waiters and waitresses to get drinks three to four times. It would have been easier to mix the drinks at my table. This is a place where you go when you're not in the mood to queue at a bar yet most of my time was spent looking out for waiters and chasing them to order or pay. Will never go back. Plenty more decent cocktail bars in the area.

Went here for a friend's 30th birthday earlier this year. The cocktails were OK, not great, mainly a glass of ice. But the bad service and the rudeness of the staff (mainly the pretentious guy "in charge"), was particularly noticeable - when we asked if we could have some unused chairs shuffled across to our group of >20, they thought we were mad (the ensuing devastation of the décor wouldn't look right, I guessed), and that set the mood of the staff/manager from then on. I don't see how they think they can get away with that sort of customer service (or non-service) in this current climate. Owners/investors should take note.

Liked the interior however single worst Manhattan I have ever drank.
Waitresses were also slow and unfriendly and unhelpful and almost impossible to catch their attention.
For how awful the drink was alone I won't go back.

I live around the corner and must have visited Loungelover 3 dozen times over the last 8 years. Not a place which will suit everybody but the above review misses the mark.
The decor is eclectic but no guest I've ever brought to the place has disliked the look. It's unique, whimsical and fun. The staff are generally friendly, if sometimes cold. Cocktails are inventive and delicious - there is not much else on the menu but this is a cocktail bar - you should not come here for a beer or a glass of wine, and most certainly not for the food (it was originally opened as a sister-bar to a nearby restaurant).
The one genuine flaw with the bar is that, when busy, there can be a long wait for drinks. This has been the case for years and Loungelover should have dealt with the problem. It is the occasions where you have to wait an age for your drinks that the prices and service charge become unreasonable.
An individual and enjoyable cocktail bar with a little bit of room for improvement.

It looks like they had been to a car boot sale and bought a load of stuff people were throwing out. The staff were unattentive and unapologetic for being so bad, save for the English waiter who seemed to be the only one paying attention to customers while the rest of the staff were basically statues. The food was average, but it took so long to come out (even the uncooked food) and when complaining about this, the food was in the kitchen on the side, the waitress was just doing nothing about it. On a plus side they have a reasonably big selection of good cocktails, although everything else about the place is such a disappointment that I can only give it one star. I do not recommend.

A refreshing pleasant experience, shared an evening with my girlfriend recently and had some interesting drinks, more refreshing than some other of over mixed drinks found locally at some other bars I need not mention.
Nothing but praise for superb relaxed friendly service. Not often suprised by the a combination of style and arty surroundings with great service.
Particularly enjoyed the long conversation with manager, who went on about where to go and drink in the area and that his bar stayed strong with the balance of all sorts of cocktails and not getting mixed up in the hocus pocus that the bar industry is thriving on. It also seemed there was a lot of food service going on, all manner of exotic dishes and sushi being served. We'll be back to eat guys.
Thanks again
Adam

Nice decor yes.
Staff was cold. Food was very average for the price. Wine List a joke - less than ten bottles to select from and cheapest at £22 (funnily enough not available!). £11 for a martini??!!! You must be joking!